Martin Edwards's Blog, page 173

The CWA Dagger Reads

The Crime Writers' Association undertakes a very wide range of activities on behalf of its members, and from quite an early point in its existence, back in the Fifties, the CWA has sought to promote crime writing generally - in the belief that celebrating the best books in the genre is widely beneficial, because it interests and enthuses readers up and down the country and much further afield.

One of the latest initiatives is "the CWA Dagger Reads", which is a starting out as an online venture aimed at giving readers a voice as regards those sought-after awards, the CWA Daggers. The growing connection between readers and writers has already seen the creation of the Crime Readers' Association, which now has thousands of members, and the CWA Dagger Reads is another element in the strategy of making use of the internet to increase connections, and awareness of the enjoyability of the genre.

What the CWA is doing is trialling this idea in relation to its final three awards of the year - the CWA Gold Dagger for fiction, the CWA John Creasey Dagger, and the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. On the CWA Dagger Reads website there is a good deal of info about each of the books that have been short-listed for these Daggers. The hope is that this will encourage discussion among readers and further enhance the profile of the books in question.

The Daggers will be awarded at a ceremony in London on 29 September that I'm looking forward to attending. Te current plan is to extend the project to all books short-listed for CWA Daggers next year. Possible developments include events at literary festivals, and that idea seems to me to be well worth exploring, not least because the more that these events spread out from London to the rest of the country, making it easier and cheaper for many crime fans to become involved, the better. But that's for the future. In the meantime, I'm glad that this venture is up and running online.

A Miscellany of Books

Today I'd like to highlight an enjoyably mixed bag of books,starting with Steve Dolman's wonderful first book, published by the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians, and entitled Edwin Smith: a life in Derbyshire Cricket. Now, one or two of you may wonder how I can possibly claim that this has any relevance to a blog about crime writing, but you might be surprised. For Steve has kindly quoted me in the book, and revealed to the world the connection between Edwin Smith and the murky neverland of crime fiction!

Edwin is now 81 years old, but when I was growing up, he was one of the cricketers I admired, and the point is made in the book that nowadays, a player of such abiltiy would almost certainly have enjoyed a career as a Test cricketer. But things were very different then. Steve runs the Peakfan blog, which for me is required reading as I pore over the latest calamities to beset Derbyshire cricket, and he has done a great job in telling a life story which also presents a rather sobering picture of the times, and the hardships that sportsmen from humble backgrounds endured in the Fifties and Sixties. As befits a chap who spent many years working in library services, Steve is an accomplished and fair-minded writer, and I'm delighted to say that he arranged for Edwin himself to sign my copy. It goes on the shelf alongside a couple of signed Agatha Christies!

John Harvey is one of Britain's leading crime novelists and has been for upwards of twenty years. He's also a gifted exponent of the short story, and his 'Fedora' is one of the best crime stories I've read in the last decade. His latest story, "Ask Me Now", leads a new collection of stories by Nottingham writers, These Seven, published by Five Leaves. The other contributors include the late Alan Sillitoe, a writer whose work made a great impression on me in my youth. As a student, I attended a talk he gave, and found it as fascinating as his fiction.

Changing the mood a little, I'd also like to mention a new thriller by John Hegenberger called Tripl3 Cross. It's a follow-up to Cross Examinations, and there is a clue in the titles:the protagonist is Eliot Cross. One particularly interesting feature is the Cuban setting, with which the author has been familiar for many years. Cuba always sounds like a fascinating place, and is on my to-be-visited list. The publisher is Rough Edges Press.

All three books, in other words, come from relatively small publishers, with limited (or non-existent) publicity budgets. I'm glad to give each of them a mention, because small presses play an invaluable role in the world of books, one that deserves to be celebrated. The world would be a much poorer place without them.

Forgotten Book - Knock,Murderer, Knock!

When John Norris reviewed Harriet Rutland's debut mystery, Knock, Murdererr, Knock! back in March, I commented that I'd just bagged a copy of the book, and hoped to review it myself. It's taken me six months to get round to so doing, but then, I have a lot of books that have waited for me to attend to them for much longer than that. The TBR pile continues to grow remorselessly. Never mind, plenty to look forward to! And Rutland's novel, my Forgotten Book for today,should not be forgotten for much longer.

The first thing to say is that this is a witty and well-constructed book, an accomplished piece of work which I enjoyed from start to finish. The setting is a Hydro in a resort on the south coast that caters for a variety of invalids. The main activity of the residents is gossiping, a habit which is integral to the plot, as well as providing plenty of comic moments.

When an attractive, and rather mysterious, young woman called Miss Blake arrives at the Hydro, she soon becomes very popular with the men, and correspondingly unpopular with the victim. Seasoned whodunit readers will suspect she is a victim in the making, and they will be right. Inspector Palk,a cop with very definite but often mistaken ideas, soon makes an arrest, but then a second murder occurs...

This is a fair play, closed circle mystery with a sizeable cast of characters. Because Rutland is very generous with her clues, I identified both culprit and motive about half way through the story (and as regards one of the murders, there really wasn't any other likely culprit or motive.) This element of guessability didn't spoil my pleasure, however. John mentioned in his blog that the book is very rare, and I was lucky to get hold of a copy. But happily, Dean Street Press will be republishing Rutland's books soon - an example of the good news for Golden Age fans which is coming thick and fast at present. And I expect to be bringing further good news before long!.

Starlings and other stories

The morning after the 1920s murder mystery event at Gladfest, it was time to head down the road to Waterstones, Wrexham, for the launch of a new anthology. The Starlings and other stories is edited by Ann Cleeves and is a truly fascinating and innovative project. The stories come from the six members of Murder Squad, and six 'accomplices', and the common factor is that they were all inspird by black and white photos taken by David Wilson.


The publishers, Graffeg, had previously published a book of photos taken by David and featuring scenes in Pembrokeshire. The images are very evocative, and the suggestion was made to Ann that Murder Squad might like to compile a themed anthology of stories inspired by the photos. I thought the idea of stories inspired by photos was brilliant, but at first I wasn't entirely sure about the logic of a group of northern writers tackling photos of South Wales. However, as the project began to take shape my uncertainty was vanquished,and I think that the resulting book is rather splendid.

Part of that is due to Graffeg's high production values. They are an impressive outfit. Part also is due to the photos. David  Wilson came along to the launch and it was great to be able to meet the person who provided us with our inspiration. He really does take fine photographs. And of course, the variety of the stories, as ever with anthologies, means there's something for all tastes.

My accomplice was Helena Edwards, fresh from her triumph in being short-listed for last year's CWA Margery Allingham Prize, for a story that has now been published in 'Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'. She is a very accomplished writer, and I hope she'll soon publish more fiction. She and I thought it would be fun to choose the same photo, and not surprisingly what each of us came up with was very different.

Helena's story is light and lively.My story is longer, and represents an experiment. At the time, I was reading a lot of that wonderful writer Robert Aickman's 'strange stories' and 'Through the Mist' is very much in the Aickman mould. It's not really a crime story at all, though there is a crime in it. The experience of writing it was very rewarding, an example of how the short story form gives a writer the chance to try something far removed from their 'usual' work, which is always exciting. Some time in the future, I hope to write another story of this type. In the meantime, it's a real pleasure to be part of this project.

Gladfest 2015

It's always a joy to return to Gladstone's Library, especially if it's a trip that involves an overnight stay in Britain's gem of a residential library.And this past week-end I was there for Gladfest, a festival now in its third year, and going from strength to strength. Two years ago, I put on a Victorian murder mystery event. This year, it was time for a 1920s murder mystery - very appropriate in the year of The Golden Age of Murder!

The mystery was performed with gusto by a young and splendid cast of actors,and as usual with anything organised by Gladstone's Library, the whole event went swimmingly. My thanks to Susan Miller, who took the photo of the "scene of the crime" as members of the audience were arrviing. Even though,because of the festival, the place was packed, it retains its essential peacefulness,and the rooms for those staying overnight are wonderfully quiet. If you are ever in the vicinity of Chester and North Wales, I can't recommend it highly enough.

Gladstone's Library has been around a long time - since the days of William.Ewart Gladstone himself, whose wonderful idea it was. The Gladstone family retains a keen interest in the place, and I had the pleasure of meeting them a couple of years back at the Sherlock Holmes Society's annual conference dinner. But there's also a determination to adapt with the times, and events such as Gladfest are helping the Library to extend its reach. This is sensible, because there are ambitious plans afoot to build additional facilities, which will further enhance the appeal of the Library, whilst maintaining its essential character.

Among many other things, the Library helps to develop the skills of young interns with a keen interest in librarianship, and also supports writers in residence - an announcement was made about the next group of writers who will be fortunate enough to spend time there under a very well thought-out scheme. All in all, the Library offers a model for any charity that seeks to combine a strong interest in cultural heritage (and much else) while playing an active and positive part in a wide range of valuable activities. The past is very important to Gladstone's Library, but it is also responding very effectively to the challenges that face any charity in the twenty-first century.

Forgotten Book - The Waxworks Murder

John Dickson Carr was in his mid-twenties when he published The Waxworks Murder,in 1932, yet he had already established himself as a detective novelist of considerable distinction. And this is one of the striking features of the Golden Age - so many of the leading lights began their careers when they were young, and wrote books with youthful energy and verve. And there is plenty of verve in this story, which is set in Paris.

The narrator is Jeff Marle, who acts as "Watson" to Carr's first series sleuth, Henri Bencolin, rather than Gideon Fell or Sir Henry Merrivale. Bencolin is a distinctive character, with a faintly sinister side perhaps, but certainly a Great Detective. Another strong character is his polar opposite and long-time adversary, a deeply unpleasant chap ironically named Galant. By contrast, Jeff is - as is the way with so many Watsons other than the original of the species - not especially memorable.

The deaths of two young women are at the heart of this mystery, but I felt that the strength of the book lay not so much in the careful way in which Carr works out his plot, but rather the splendid atmospherics, and the excellence of the finale. The reason why Carr's mysteries have retained their popularity is that he wasn't content just to come up with a convoluted plot. Here,the macabre ambience of the waxworks that is the scene of the crime, and the dangerous Club of the Silver Key, is very nicely done. The evocative writing helps to retain reader interest through what I felt was a rather stodgy part of the plot in the middle of the story.

I didn't find myself caring too much about either of the victims, to be honest, and this was a weakness. The story doesn't involve an "impossible crime", but in other respects it's a good example of Carr;s writing. I don't think it's one of his masterpieces, but rather a story that is worth reading for the setting, the solution, and the compelling contrast between a good detective and a very nasty piece of work.

The Whodunit Dinner and The Sinking Admiral

Right at the end of The Golden Age of Murder, I make passing mention of a new Detection Club project. This is a novel in the tradition of the Club's 1931 classic The Floating Admiral, a round-robin story written by "certain members of the Detection Club". The new book is to be called The Sinking Admiral, and again it is written by "certain members of the Detection Club" - including me.

This project has been masterminded by Simon Brett as President, and participating in it has been hugely enjoyable. I'm glad to say that the book has now been completed, and that it will be published next year by Harper Collins, who have already enjoyed great success in recent years with reissues of earlier Detection Club books, including Ask a Policeman and The Anatomy of Murder.

When Simon first mooted the project, a group of members volunteered to take part, and although one had to drop out for health reasons, unfortunately, someone else stepped in to take her place.The early stages of planning took a considerable time, but once we had the publishing contract signed, the deadline concentrated our minds, as it usually does with writers. We've had a number of meetings to discuss the project as it proceeded, and when the summer arrived, the book was in a pretty decent state.

We did not, however, know whodunit! So Simon, who has put a great deal of energy and skill into the whole exercise, organised a wonderfully enjoyable Whodunit Dinner at the Groucho Club - not far away from the site of the Detection Club's original premises in Gerrard Street - and as well as having a highly convivial time, we worked out a solution, and who would write it. (The menu above is signed by the contributors who were present, although a few could not make it.) It must rank as one of the most memorable occasions of my writing career. Wild horses would not, of course, drag any more information out of me about the story at this stage, but it's fair to say that we are both relieved and happy about the way the project has turned out. It's been tremendous fun, and we are very much hoping that readers will find the book is a lot of fun, too.

Tom Adams Uncovered

When my first novel came out in a paperback edition, the sales rep from Transworld took me out for lunch during the course of a memorable and hugely enjoyable day, travelling round the bookshops and signing copies of the book. He was a pleasant chap and very experienced in the bookselling business, so I asked what he thought really mattered in making a novel saleable. "It's the cover, Martin," he said. "Always the cover."

This was not the answer I was expecting, or indeed hoping for. I pressed him, but he was insistent. Booksellers he visited would flick through his catalogue for a minute of so, picking out which covers they liked and would buy. The books themselves didn't really matter. Well, this may or may not have been a slightly jaundiced view, but the fact is that covers do matter. I can, for instance, vividly recall the cover of the first adult novel I ever read. It was the Fontana paperback of The Murder at the Vicarage.

That same cover features in a new book, Tom Adams Uncovered, which is sub-titled "The Art of Agatha Christie and Beyond." Tom Adams was the gifted artist responsible for many of the Christie paperback covers that I devoured at the age of nine and ten - other examples in the book include The Moving Finger, One Two, Buckle My Shoe and The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side. John Curran, the leading expert on Christie, provides useful commentaries which supplement the artist's own thoughts about the covers.

Those Christie covers really are very striking, and it's no wonder that they are now regarded as iconic. There is, of course, much more to Tom Adams as an artist than Christie. I was interested to learn that he was responsible for the cover of Manwatching, a book hugely successful in its day, as well as covers for authors as varied as John Fowles, Peter Straub and Raymond Chandler. Cover artwork is a fascinating subject, and I hope to return to it in the future. In the meantime, I found Tom Adams Uncovered appealing and very attractive..

Forgotten Book - Send for Paul Temple

I've mentioned before that Francis Durbridge's Paul Temple is one of my guilty pleasures. I'm delighted to say that Harper Collins have just reissued five early Paul Temple books - all adapted from radio serials, - and I've just gulped down the first of them, Send for Paul Temple, my Forgotten Book for today. I'd previously listened to an audio version of this story, but it was still an entertaining example of the ripping yarn. Durbridge was no Tolstoy, but he knew how to keep his readers/listeners interested.

There's a mystery, incidentally, about the authorship of this book. What happened was that Durbridge, a young man of 25, created Paul Temple for the radio,and the success of this story prompted thousands of listeners to demand more of the same - suffice to say that Durbridge certainly obliged them, as Temple became an immensely popular long-running character. Durbridge also turned the story into a novel, but for that he had a co-writer, John Thewes, who seems rather to have been airbrushed from history.

I've consulted Melvyn Barnes, the greatest authority on Durbridge, and he is fairly sure that Thewes was a pen-name for Charles Hatton, who co-wrote several Temple books as Hatton. But why he adopted a pen-name for one collaboration and not others is unclear. Or maybe Charles Hatton was another pseudonym? Possibly he worked for the BBC, but information about him is scant.I, and indeed Melvyn, would be glad to learn more

One of the reasons I mention this little mystery, by the way, is that I've recently been sent some fascinating info about Gerald Findler, the ultra-obscure author of a story I included in Resorting to Murder. Not even that legendary mine of information Bob Adey had been able to trace any details about Findler, but a correspondent has now told me quite a bit about him. So often, interesting know-how is out there; the challenge is to get hold of it. But the internet, for all its quirks and unreliability, does make the task easier.

Anyway, back to Paul Temple. Scotland Yard is baffled by a series of jewel robberies in the Midlands. The only clue is the dying words of two members of the gang who helped with "inside jobs" before being murdered for their pains. But what is the significance of the words "The Green Finger"? The Press campaign noisily for Temple, a wealthy writer and criminologist, to be consulted by the Yard.

Soon the great man finds himself in the thick of it. Luckily, he meets a pretty and dynamic blonde reporter who uses the alias Steve Trent, and has her own reasons to help him. In the course of their attempts to solve the mystery, they fall in love. As we now know, they lived happily - and very adventurously - ever after.

The Riot Club - film review

The Riot Club is a film from last year, based on Laura Wade's successful play Posh. Rather like The History Boys, it has an ensemble cast of mainly young actors, including the sons of those fine actors Jeremy Irons and Edward Fox. Tom Hollander, who has a fairly minor role as a sinister MP (is there any other kind?) is perhaps the best-known name, but the quality of the acting is consistently high.

The eponymous club has historic origins and is based in Oxford University. In essence, it's a collection of ten rich, posh young men with a taste for drink and debauchery. There's a disclaimer in the credits, but it doesn't take a great detective to suspect that Wade is having a swipe at the Bullingdon Club. A pretty easy target to aim at, it has to be said.

This is a story about the abuse of privilege, but it's perhaps most impressive if seen as a story about gang culture. The members of the Riot Club behave in a way that is offensive and deeply unpleasant, just like members of other gangs. In this story two new members are recruited, and a dinner is organised at a gastro-pub far distant from Oxford, because the Riot Club has been banned from everywhere nearer. As the lads become more and more drunk, things turn increasingly, and very predictably, nasty.

This is a well-made and, for all its lack of subtlety, extremely watchable film. I enjoyed it, although I couldn't identify with it in the way I could with some aspects of The History Boys. I felt that the script panders to prejudices - possibly including my own prejudices, given that, although I studied at Oxford, I was neither posh nor rich, and nor were my friends. That said, it makes some good points, as well as facile ones. I did wonder if young Irons and Fox felt slightly uncomfortable about some of the criticism of inherited privilege. But there's no reason why they should. They are clearly very good actors, and it seems likely that they will have highly successful careers..